LOOK: Gene Keady Part of Sellout Crowd for Purdue Volleyball's Mackey Arena Match
Gene Keady was part of many memorable games featuring Purdue and Indiana inside Mackey Arena. On Saturday, the legendary Boilermaker coach was part of an historic event at the iconic venue.
Keady was in attendance for Saturday night's match between Purdue and Indiana, which drew a crowd of 14,876. That was the largest crowd for a volleyball match between two Big Ten teams in conference history.
The previous record was set at a match between Illinois and Minnesota, which drew an attendance of 10,927 fans back in 2004.
They weren’t gonna let an entire match go by without saying something about Coach Keady being here 🐐 pic.twitter.com/mhcQ1Jjw2e
— Paul Branham (@BoilerPaulie) October 20, 2024
Keady and the nearly 15,000 fans were treated to one of Purdue's most impressive victories of the season. The Boilermakers hammered the Hoosiers, sweeping IU 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-9) and winning the Monon Spike.
"It was a dream come true," coach Dave Shondell said when asked about playing in front of a record-breaking crowd. "I think any Purdue volleyball fan or anybody associated with our program to have a vision of what this could be like. We've played here before, but we hadn't sold the place out. And I felt like, with everything going on in the sport of volleyball, this is the time."
Shondell's team improved to 15-4 on the season and 6-2 in Big Ten play. The Boilers will be back in Mackey Arena on Saturday, hosting Wisconsin. First serve is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and the match airs on NBC.
That match is also sold out and should create another electric atmosphere. We'll see if Keady returns to Mackey Arena on Saturday for another big match.
Related stories on Purdue volleyball
SHONDELL PRESENTED WITH GOLDEN HAMMER: Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell was presented with a golden hammer during the team's volleyball match against Indiana at Mackey Arena on Saturday. CLICK HERE
BOILERMAKERS MAKE BIG TEN HISTORY: Purdue made Big Ten volleyball history on Saturday, breaking the conference's attendance record. The Boilers swept Indiana 3-0 at Mackey Arena. CLICK HERE
